The Off Switch is a simple card and app that helps you protect deep work, clear evenings, and proper time off, without losing the parts of your phone you need to do your job.
On this page, you will see how it works, example routines you can copy, and what remote and hybrid workers usually notice after a few weeks.
The Off Switch
× Remote & Hybrid Workers
What you’re trying to do
If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place.
1. Do focused work without constant pings pulling your brain away.
2. Finish your day at a reasonable time and actually feel finished.
3. Protect your evenings and weekends from a drip feed of work messages.
4. Keep in touch with your team and clients without being chained to your inbox.
5. Use remote or hybrid work for flexibility, not for an infinite workday.
Where it starts to go wrong
Over time, this always-on pattern shows up as stress, poorer sleep, and feeling worn down.
1. A quiet afternoon gets shredded into tiny pieces by notifications from email, chat, project tools and socials.
2. Work apps live on your personal phone, so your job is in your pocket at dinner, on the sofa, and in bed.
3. A quick glance at email in the evening turns into drafting replies and checking dashboards.
4. You feel pressure to be available at all times, because everyone knows you have your phone on you.
5. You close your laptop but your brain doesn’t switch off, because work is still literally pinging in your hand.
How The Off Switch helps
Think better
The Off Switch establishes a clear distinction between work time and personal time, even when the same device handles both, exactly what right-to-disconnect policies aim to protect. Digital interruptions are known to hurt focus and productivity when they pile up, so reducing them helps you stay on track. Work-related phone use after hours is repeatedly linked to higher work-life conflict and increased risk of burnout, so limiting it can protect your well-being.
Live easier
You decide which apps stay on for each routine (calendar, calls, and one chat app) while muting everything else. One tap on the card silences your chosen apps until you tap again, with no need to hunt through settings or juggle multiple modes. You can set up different modes for deep work, meetings, lunch, and after hours. The card becomes a physical cue that says “this block is protected.” It works whether you’re fully remote, hybrid, or freelance, sitting at your desk, by your laptop stand, or next to the front door, as it seamlessly integrates into your existing habits. The core features are completely free, so you’re not signing up for yet another subscription just to feel less frazzled.
Feel calmer
Instead of feeling guilty for missing a message, you feel confident about the boundary you’ve set and communicated. Your phone feels less like a boss and more like a tool again. Even when work is demanding, you get pockets of real rest so you can come back clearer and less resentful. You feel more present with whoever you’re with after work, because you’re not half-listening for the next ping.
Routines that work well for remote and hybrid workers
Deep focus block
When: During a planned 60–120 minute work sprint.
Apps off: Email, chat tools, social media, non-essential project tools, news, personal messaging apps.
What stays on: Calendar, video meeting app if needed, calls from key contacts, cloud docs, password manager.
How it helps: Gives you a chunk of uninterrupted time for real work, while still allowing essential contact if a true issue comes up.
Protected lunch
When: Your main daytime break, even if the time moves slightly.
Apps off: Work chat, email, project tools, work socials.
What stays on: Personal messages, calls from family, music, step counter, food delivery.
How it helps: Your brain gets an actual break instead of a scroll break, which supports attention and recovery for the afternoon.
End of day shutdown
When: The last 10 to 15 minutes of your workday.
Apps off: Work email, chat, project apps, work social accounts.
What stays on: Personal messaging apps, calls, maps, banking, music.
How it helps: apping your card becomes the ritual that marks “today is done,” which is especially helpful when your workspace is your bedroom, kitchen, or sofa.
Evening and weekend boundary
When: Evenings after a chosen time and a block at the weekend.
Apps off: All work related apps and anything that drags your thoughts back to tasks, targets, or clients.
What stays on: Calls from close people, maps, camera, personal banking, music, hobbies.
How it helps: Aligns with right to disconnect ideas in a tangible way, so you are less likely to drift back into “just finishing something” late at night.
Common questions
What if my job expects me to be available?
The Off Switch doesn’t hard lock anything. It simply adds a physical step between you and your work apps, so being available becomes a conscious choice, not a reflex. You can always tap to bring everything back if you truly need to.
Can I still be reached in an emergency?
Yes. You decide what counts as essential. Many people keep calls and one key app open for urgent contact, while everything else waits until the next work block. This mirrors the idea behind right-to-disconnect rules, which focus on unreasonable contact, not genuine emergencies.
My work apps are on my personal phone. Will this still help?
Very much. Bring-your-own-device setups often blur work and home even more. The Off Switch gives you a clear way to ring fence when work apps are allowed to demand attention and when they are not, without deleting or reinstalling anything.
What if my schedule is unpredictable?
You don’t need perfectly regular hours to benefit. You can set up a couple of modes such as Focus, Lunch, or Off Duty and tap into them whenever the moment arrives. The card supports micro decisions, not just fixed schedules.
Will this hurt my productivity?
The research suggests the opposite. Unmanaged digital distractions and constant after-hours work are linked with lower engagement, higher stress, and burnout. Protecting focus and rest tends to improve the quality of the hours you are actually working.